50 Days of Prayer for Fellowship CRC
Eph. 1:18-19 - “(I pray that) you may perceive what is … the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe.”
“Power.” That’s a big word. The word the Apostle Paul chose here is the word from which we get the English word “dynamite.” But that word alone was insufficient for what the Apostle wanted to say, so he added “immeasurable greatness” in front of it. Now we have no problem believing that about God, but the Apostle is offering this power to us, to you and I. Do we believe it?
The Ephesian Christians were well familiar with claims to power. They lived in the most advanced empire to that point in history, and Rome was never afraid to show its power and military force. They lived in a Greek culture that celebrated all sort of gods and spiritual powers. They lived in a city that claimed for itself the supposed greatness of Artemis, one of the chief godesses of the Greek pantheon.
The Apostle Paul was ready to place the power available to the Christian against any and all of these so-called powers. The Where-How-Why of it was so well stated by the Chinese preacher Watchman Nee as “Sit-Walk-Stand.” First, he said, we are seated with Christ in the heavenly places (Eph. 2:6). Because of this, we can and do walk confidently, even if the days are evil (Eph. 5:15, ESV). And walking confidently in Christ will enable us to stand firmly when the time comes (Eph. 6:13). Based on this beautiful imagery, the Apostle Paul declares for all believers, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power; put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil, for our struggle is not against blood and flesh but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:10-12).
If you believe that God in Christ conquered death, then there is immeasurably great power available to you. Today. By His Spirit living in you. When you are sitting, walking or standing. So pray accordingly! God makes this power available to us in prayer. Thank you Jesus!
And so we pray,
Father God, thank you for the power you make available through your Son Jesus Christ by your Holy Spirit. God, we admit that we do not know the immeasurable greatness of this power. We want to, not for ourselves, but for your glory and kingdom. To that end we offer ourselves to you as instruments of your power. We pray for our church today, and especially for the Elders and Deacons that we installed this week, that they would lead our church in your power and not in their own strength. Thank you for them, Lord. In Jesus’ name, authority an power, Amen.